Showing 1-24 of 169 items found in History

Built in 1929, the Villa Park Historical Museum building originally served the community as the Villa Ave stop for the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric train line and an appliance store. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, it houses relics and artifacts from Villa Park's past including articles from the Ovaltine Factory which once operated in Villa Park and Sears Catalog Homes in the area.

A cherished landmark in the heart of downtown Wheaton, The Little Popcorn Shop is perhaps one of the most loved and narrowest stores in the Chicagoland area measuring 49 inches wide by 60 feet long. The store’s small, quaint space is like walking into a Norman Rockwell painting. Popcorn is freshly popped, candy lines the wall, and locals greet each other warmly while welcoming newcomers to this very special place called The Little Popcorn Shop.

ince pinback buttons were patented in 1896, people have found many ways to express their life events through buttons. They created the Button Museum to show how people commemorated noteworthy times in their lives by creating and collecting these wearable mementos. The words, artwork, printing style, color, and size were the final result of a vision they wanted to communicate or be a part of.

The Richard H. Driehaus Gallery of Stained Glass, located near the tip of Chicago’s Navy Pier, immerses visitors in darkened rooms bathed in the glow of 11 of Tiffany Studios’ stained glass windows, ranging from ecclesiastical to secular landscapes. Each displays the ways Tiffany Studios reinvented tradition, using embedded colors and new types of glass to create folds, ripples, and other textures that gave life to each scene.

The American Toby Jug Museum is home to more than 8,000 Toby and Character jugs, and related derivatives from around the globe. The collection spans the Centuries and features characters representing the times in which they were made, from the oldest dating back to the 1760’s to the most recent ones still in production. It is the largest collection in the world, and is on display and open to the public

The Elk Grove Historical Museum provides a look at pioneer living from the mid 19th to early 20th century. The Museum specializes in the history of the Elk Grove and its development over time. Open year round, the Museum offers tours, educational programs, exhibits, and assistance with research on Elk Grove Village and the surrounding area.

Platform allows viewing of mainline/commuter rails with live switchyard audio. An underground walkway, leading to the park, displays murals depicting railway history. The park features a retired/restored locomotive and caboose.

Like their neighborhood history tours, the Chicago food tours have no upfront costs. All food is chosen and ordered by you. Their guides make recommendations and facilitate ordering, but you have the final say. You choose your own food and pay for it directly. They have planned in 4-5 food shops, including a dessert shop, and sometimes even a tea shop. Each establishment serves up incredibly delicious and inexpensive food served in portions that can be easily divided and shared or singularly devoured. In between the food stops, you’ll have time to digest your food as well as digest the history of the neighborhood, as told to you by one of their entertaining and knowledgeable guides.

A Big Ten school and one of the leading universities in the U.S. Its Evanston campus is on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan. Founded in 1851, this renowned educational institution is rich in stunning architecture. More than 150 historically significant and interesting sites on campus are featured in various walking tours, each taking approximately 30 minutes to complete. Highlights include the Arch, University Hall and the Arts Circle.

Free Tours by Foot is pleased to present the only pay-what-you-like Chicago walking tours. These interesting and informative sightseeing tours will take you through many of the Windy City’s most famous neighborhoods. They’re one of the best things to do on your visit. They offer walking, food, architecture and bike tours. Come experience their Chicago walking tours.

Loyola University Chicago’s Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses offer multiple conference and event facilities with full service amenities to ease the planning of your next event. Each campus offers elegant year-round venues, affordable housing, electronic classrooms and auditoriums, on-premise catering options, and a full range of audio/visual equipment to make your next event a success. Loyola’s Water Tower Campus is centrally located in Chicago’s eloquent Gold Coast neighborhood and right off of the Magnificent Mile. Experience all the best Chicago has to offer including world famous steak houses, great shopping, theaters, art museums, and many other exciting tourist attractions. On Chicago’s north side, Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus is just steps from the lake and offers a serene setting for conferences and special events alike. From city to lake, Loyola’s two Chicago campuses are surrounded by all the best this city has to offer.

The Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center, the world's largest municipal library building, offers books, periodicals, newspapers, and information in over 100 languages, programs for children and adults, and free access to the internet.

Pleasant Home is an architectural gem that showcases 19th century craftsmanship and artistry. Designed in 1897 by prominent architect George W. Maher, the home is a National Historic Landmark and the only Maher building open to the public as a museum. You and your guests will be surrounded by rich custom woodwork, extraordinary art glass windows, intricate woodcarvings, and the glowing warmth of light from another era. The Pleasant Home's 1st floor includes of the Great Hall, Living and Dining Rooms and enclosed circular porch. The front porch is a great addition to the 1st floor during warmer weather. It is perfect for wedding ceremonies, smaller banquets or cocktail parties. The Library is slightly off the beaten path, but is a great place for a buffet station for a cocktail reception. It is also perfect for small lectures of meetings that do not require the use of the whole house.

The Big Ten Experience features a collection of 13 interactive exhibits showcasing conference notables dating back to 1896, the year the conference was founded. Highlights include the Big Ten Theater which gives patrons a behind-the-scenes, immersive audio and video experience looking at student-athletes and traditions, along with radio and television features of notable accomplishments on and off the field of play.

The Itasca Historical Museum was the original Itasca Train Depot built in 1873. A 1939 Milwaukee Road Rib-side Caboose numbered 01839 was acquired and restored to its original bright orange appearance with all new doors, windows and wood interior. Kids love the interactive train display in the Depot which looks like Itasca in the late 1800’s with bells and whistles. Open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11am-4pm and the 1st and 2nd Saturdays each month from 9am-2pm.

Founded in 1882, the Chicago Stock Exchange boasts more than 3,000 stocks traded, with an average trading volume of 13 million daily. View the second-largest stock exchange in the country from the fifth-floor Visitors Gallery.

This international marketplace enables institutions and businesses to manage their financial risk and allocate their assets. Futures and options contracts are traded on the Mercantile's two state-of-the-art trading floors.

This 80-year-old Indiana limestone building was constructed as a memorial to the members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon who fought and died in our nation's wars, and contains some of the last stained-glass works of Louis C. Tiffany.

Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature

The largest African American history and literature collection in the Midwest, the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature contains a wealth of precious documentation of the black experience. The collection places a strong focus on African American history in Illinois.